Context
European Researchers' Night is a successful initiative since more than 1.6 million people participated in it in 2019 and exceeded 2.3 million in 2020 (taking advantage of online formats). It is a public action that every year strives to communicate and disseminate the research activity and its outcomes. In the 2021 edition, the majority of consortium partners took part in MEDNIGHT, a project in wich the awareness campaign played a prominent role and which involved entities from several Mediterranean countries. In this edition, the project reduces the geographical scope to the Valencian Community and the Region of Murcia to better cover it. The consortium, made up of entities from these two regions, proposes to recover the essence of the European Researchers' Night: to make citizens witnesses and participants in Mediterranean research of excellence. To achieve this, it sets as a priority the design of a strong program of activities for Researchers at Schools and the European Researchers' Night, placing these actions in the foreground. The new project, named SCIENCE GTS, is presented as a back to school for researchers, an opportunity to show that they are not working in an ivory tower, but by and for the society, of which they are a part of. Moreover, it's a chance to enhance the interest of young people in learning and training, so that they become the professionals of the future. The public will perceive the research community as diverse, gender balanced and inclusive, of which people with all kinds of profiles, conditions and capacities are a part of.
Objectives
The general objective of SCIENCE GTS is to blur the barrier between research activity and social reality in the two regions involved, using the European Researchers‟ Night and the Researchers at Schools activities as tools to achieve this objective, it has been broken down into specific goals detailed below:
Expected impact
1. Improve citizens' understanding and commitment to Research and Innovation.
2. Raise awareness of the general public about the importance and benefits of R&I and its impact on daily life.
3. Contribute to the dissemination and promotion of research projects of excellence in Europe and beyond, as well as EU policies and programs among the general public.
4. Increase the interest of young people in scientific and research careers.
5. Support the scientific approach of teachers around priority topics and create learning opportunities through student-researcher interaction.
